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Bball's 2012 Indy 500 Pics and Comments

Release the balloons-

Underpowered, off the pace, and ordered off the track:

Hinch looked promising early but never really challenged late:

I suspect TK got everything out of his car today:

In the things that make you go hmmmm category... Conway slides into his pit askew and hits a couple of crew members. In the photo he's not yet stopped and you see one crewman in the air and another about to be hit in front. Supposedly, this damaged the front wing but they went back out without repairing it and allegedly that led to Conway getting into the wall and collecting Will Power as well. Power wasn't happy.

Marco had a very Andretti day. Led the most laps I believe... grew frustrated with his team.... and ultimately didn't even finish the race.

Ed Carpenter seemed to have everything falling his way until a late spin. He didn't hit anything but the spin cost him a great finish possibility, including the possibility of being in contention for the win at the end.

If racing was more like a parade then the best looking car would get an award. Sea Bass would certainly be in contention for that award:

Pole sitter Ryan Briscoe:

Heading for the checkered flag... under caution...

Dario Franchitti heads down Pit Row after winning 2012 Indy 500

Sato has a habit of brain fades so it's hard to say for sure if there was any way the circumstances could've played out differently for him but I suspect if the track could've went green just a tad sooner and given him a few more laps to ride in second after passing Dixon either himself or himself with the help of his team could've strategized that last lap better. Dario gave him room enough. In fact, it almost looked like Dario baited him into making that early (and rushed) move. He saw a hole and took it before really considering if he should.

I never really got a good feel for the crowd today. I did see the speedway has finally admitted defeat and simply removed those lousy seats that no longer sell along the pit entrance.

It was a very entertaining race. I think just the fact Danica wasn't there was a plus for me. I hope she never comes back but I'm sure she will... as soon as her schtick wears off in Nascar and she comes back with her tail between her legs... And she'll find out the sport moved on without her just fine. But as long as her marketing machine is in gear someone will accept her money.

I'm guessing the new engines Honda loaded in the cars weren't just clones of their earlier incarnations. As soon as I saw how quickly Dario and Dixon were able to get to the front, even after Dario had the issue in the pit, I knew this wasn't going to be a Chevy party like pole day was.

My sincerest thank you to Beaux Barfield for keeping the pace car on the track until the T4 pit entrance. That's the proper way to start and restart the Indy 500. Also glad to see that they got the Loti off the track quickly when it was obvious they were going to be rolling chicanes (and the call was made before letting them get too much in the way of the leaders rather than waiting for the leaders to have trouble with them and THEN making the Milka call). Simona came in quickly but Alesi stayed out an extra lap or two after the call was made. Not sure if they stopped scoring the Loti or what because technically if Simona came in first she would be 33rd and Alesi, having an extra lap under his belt, would be 32. But track scoring had them listed opposite of that.

Also, except for the Marco accident (and that might be perception more than reality) it seemed the track went back to green fairly quickly today. That's the way it ought to be. IIRC there was a lot of chatter on the radios trying to get the cars in the correct order for the restart after Marco's accident.

As for the heat... Whatcha talking about? Our shaded seats in the Paddock Penthouse with a continual breeze were actually pretty comfortable.
And honestly that is true... but for those out there on that aluminum with no shade. OUCH.

Last edited by Bball; 05-28-2012 at 01:47 AM.

Nuntius was right. I was wrong. Frank Vogel has retained his job.

------

"A player who makes a team great is more valuable than a great player. Losing yourself in the group, for the good of the group, thatís teamwork."

The Following 4 Users Say Thank You to Bball For This Useful Post:

Re: Bball's 2012 Indy 500 Pics and Comments

Thanks for the pictures!

http://www.grantland.com/blog/the-tr...nce-stephenson
"But, first, let us now praise famous moments, because something happened Tuesday night in Indianapolis that you can watch a lifetimeís worth of professional basketball and never see again. There was a brief, and very decisive, and altogether unprecedented, outburst of genuine officiating, and it was directed at the best player in the world, and that, my dear young person, simply is not done."

Re: Bball's 2012 Indy 500 Pics and Comments

I usually sit in the first turn area and the grandstands over there are nearly completely full there every year. But this year I sat in the third turn and I couldn't believe how many empty seats I saw. There were very noticeable pockets of empty seats in the backstretch, the third turn, and the short chute. Sad to see.

Re: Bball's 2012 Indy 500 Pics and Comments

The calendar said May, but the thermometer felt more like August for the fans at Sunday's Indianapolis 500.

The temperature was officially 91 degrees when Dario Franchitti crossed the finish line, one degree shy of a record for race day. But don't tell the tens of thousands who baked as they watched from metal bleachers.

How hard is it to accurately declare a record temperature? I'm pretty sure 2010 was allegedly a record temp for the race (as stated that day)... Then in the prerace reporting this year we hear the record was set in 1930 something (and no mention of 2010)... Then during the race it is reported the 2012 race has set the record for hottest race. Now the Star is reporting we fell a degree shy of the record. LOL....

Last edited by Bball; 05-28-2012 at 02:47 PM.

Nuntius was right. I was wrong. Frank Vogel has retained his job.

------

"A player who makes a team great is more valuable than a great player. Losing yourself in the group, for the good of the group, thatís teamwork."

The Following User Says Thank You to Bball For This Useful Post:

Re: Bball's 2012 Indy 500 Pics and Comments

Did anyone realize that the 3 Indycar drivers that were pall bearers at Dan Wheldon's funeral were Dario Franchitti, Scott Dixon, and Tony Kanaan? They finished 1st, 2nd, and 3rd at this year's Indy 500.

Nuntius was right. I was wrong. Frank Vogel has retained his job.

------

"A player who makes a team great is more valuable than a great player. Losing yourself in the group, for the good of the group, thatís teamwork."

The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to Bball For This Useful Post:

Re: Bball's 2012 Indy 500 Pics and Comments

I was rooting for TK all day. He raced the wheels off that car, and they had good pit strategy and he was always in the top 15 but he just didn't have the car to win. He always seemed to gain 3/4 spots on the restarts (which were CRAZY GO NUTS!) until the one that really mattered. No one could really hold onto the lead for very long at the end.

Re: Bball's 2012 Indy 500 Pics and Comments

http://www.grantland.com/blog/the-tr...nce-stephenson
"But, first, let us now praise famous moments, because something happened Tuesday night in Indianapolis that you can watch a lifetimeís worth of professional basketball and never see again. There was a brief, and very decisive, and altogether unprecedented, outburst of genuine officiating, and it was directed at the best player in the world, and that, my dear young person, simply is not done."

Re: Bball's 2012 Indy 500 Pics and Comments

JMV and Miller were talking about this yesterday. Miller says its a Chevy owner. My money would be on Penske (even though he has denied it).

EDIT: Randy says its not Penske. I don't think it'd be Michael since Indycar is letting him promote races..... Special Ed?

Last edited by Sandman21; 05-30-2012 at 07:54 AM.

"Nobody wants to play against Tyler Hansbrough NO BODY!" ~ Frank Vogel

"And David put his hand in the bag and took out a stone and slung it. And it struck the Philistine on the head and he fell to the ground. Amen. "
Want your own "Just Say No to Kamen" from @mkroeger pic? http://twitpic.com/a3hmca

Re: Bball's 2012 Indy 500 Pics and Comments

No worries. He's solid, as long as he want's to be there, per the people that matter. Nobody is ratting on who want's him out, yet...

http://www.grantland.com/blog/the-tr...nce-stephenson
"But, first, let us now praise famous moments, because something happened Tuesday night in Indianapolis that you can watch a lifetimeís worth of professional basketball and never see again. There was a brief, and very decisive, and altogether unprecedented, outburst of genuine officiating, and it was directed at the best player in the world, and that, my dear young person, simply is not done."

Re: Bball's 2012 Indy 500 Pics and Comments

Well, we know its apparently not Chip and its definitely not Penske per Randy himself. All we know is that it is a Chevy owner.....

"Nobody wants to play against Tyler Hansbrough NO BODY!" ~ Frank Vogel

"And David put his hand in the bag and took out a stone and slung it. And it struck the Philistine on the head and he fell to the ground. Amen. "
Want your own "Just Say No to Kamen" from @mkroeger pic? http://twitpic.com/a3hmca

Re: Bball's 2012 Indy 500 Pics and Comments

Ed Carpenter ‏@edcarpenter20
For those accusing me of being a conspirator, I am not the one talking and creating this story. Who is? Just because Robin says its so?

"Nobody wants to play against Tyler Hansbrough NO BODY!" ~ Frank Vogel

"And David put his hand in the bag and took out a stone and slung it. And it struck the Philistine on the head and he fell to the ground. Amen. "
Want your own "Just Say No to Kamen" from @mkroeger pic? http://twitpic.com/a3hmca

The Following User Says Thank You to Sandman21 For This Useful Post:

Re: Bball's 2012 Indy 500 Pics and Comments

If it's not Andretti and it's not Carpenter then my money would lean towards Barnes. And that is just a WAG based on him being a Chevy team, not having a good May, and not sure of his opinion of Turbogate. ...And him being John Barnes who does have a bit of a rep.

We know Penske wasn't happy about Turbogate, made no secret of it, but allegedly it's not Penske and so I think that would also mean it's not Jay Penske. I think Andretti has had good things to say about RB in the past but I suppose that could change. The only reason I'd suspect Carpenter would be the TG connection.... otherwise I wouldn't have suspected him at all. And he says it's not him.

I guess I'm more curious what the problem is (turbogate, or is it something else entirely?) than surprised there would be some infighting in Indycar.

Nuntius was right. I was wrong. Frank Vogel has retained his job.

------

"A player who makes a team great is more valuable than a great player. Losing yourself in the group, for the good of the group, thatís teamwork."

http://www.grantland.com/blog/the-tr...nce-stephenson
"But, first, let us now praise famous moments, because something happened Tuesday night in Indianapolis that you can watch a lifetimeís worth of professional basketball and never see again. There was a brief, and very decisive, and altogether unprecedented, outburst of genuine officiating, and it was directed at the best player in the world, and that, my dear young person, simply is not done."

The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to DaveP63 For This Useful Post:

Re: Bball's 2012 Indy 500 Pics and Comments

I got paged just as the race was ready to start and pretty much missed the first half on the radio. Was really hoping Ed would pull it out, he's one of the last of the owner/operator guys and I really want to see him win it. Missed Sarah Fisher being out there for the same reason.

I would bet seats were empty due to the projected heat. I know from the rebroadcast that a lot of seats that were full at the start were completely empty in mid-race and filled back up at the end. Used to happen anyway (middle of the race? booooo-ring ) but even more so when it is an ordeal to sit in the open stands.

BillS

A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.
Or throw in a first-round pick and flip it for a max-level point guard...

Re: Bball's 2012 Indy 500 Pics and Comments

I got paged just as the race was ready to start and pretty much missed the first half on the radio.

Speaking of radio, is there anyone at all with any kind of clout who can help me beg the radio team to please, please, PLEASE use car numbers when giving the position rundowns? Some of us old fogeys still keep a race chart and I can only keep up with about the first 15 before losing track when trying to go with an alphabetical list and using last names only. I know it is redundant when so many internet tools exist, but it is part of the race tradition my father and I did together, plus it means I don't have to be tethered to an electronic device all afternoon. Doesn't seem like it would take very much to do.

BillS

A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.
Or throw in a first-round pick and flip it for a max-level point guard...

Miller said yesterday it wasn't Reinbold. I could see Kevin Kalkoven causing trouble though...

"Nobody wants to play against Tyler Hansbrough NO BODY!" ~ Frank Vogel

"And David put his hand in the bag and took out a stone and slung it. And it struck the Philistine on the head and he fell to the ground. Amen. "
Want your own "Just Say No to Kamen" from @mkroeger pic? http://twitpic.com/a3hmca

Re: Bball's 2012 Indy 500 Pics and Comments

I'm going to go out on a limb and say John Barnes has been a IRL/ICS stalwart since the beginning, so probably not Panther. Kalkoven? Hmmmm. Interesting possibility. A freind of mine used to work for him and he is quite a penis by all accounts.

http://www.grantland.com/blog/the-tr...nce-stephenson
"But, first, let us now praise famous moments, because something happened Tuesday night in Indianapolis that you can watch a lifetimeís worth of professional basketball and never see again. There was a brief, and very decisive, and altogether unprecedented, outburst of genuine officiating, and it was directed at the best player in the world, and that, my dear young person, simply is not done."

Re: Bball's 2012 Indy 500 Pics and Comments

I'm going to go out on a limb and say John Barnes has been a IRL/ICS stalwart since the beginning, so probably not Panther. Kalkoven? Hmmmm. Interesting possibility. A freind of mine used to work for him and he is quite a penis by all accounts.

That could just mean he's loyal to TG and TG's original vision. ?? It's just hard to have a handle on any of this without knowing exactly what the issue is someone is having with RB.

Nuntius was right. I was wrong. Frank Vogel has retained his job.

------

"A player who makes a team great is more valuable than a great player. Losing yourself in the group, for the good of the group, thatís teamwork."

The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to Bball For This Useful Post:

Re: Bball's 2012 Indy 500 Pics and Comments

@JennaFryer: "My count: 3 owners. 1 former CEO, 2 team managers and a former champion..."

I think we know who the former CEO is.

"Nobody wants to play against Tyler Hansbrough NO BODY!" ~ Frank Vogel

"And David put his hand in the bag and took out a stone and slung it. And it struck the Philistine on the head and he fell to the ground. Amen. "
Want your own "Just Say No to Kamen" from @mkroeger pic? http://twitpic.com/a3hmca

Re: Bball's 2012 Indy 500 Pics and Comments

@JennaFryer: "My count: 3 owners. 1 former CEO, 2 team managers and a former champion..."

I think we know who the former CEO is.

The ironic part is that the other portion of the family of the "former CEO" are the ones who say RB isn't going anywhere...Man, I don't know. It sounds like there's more poo floating around than what there appears. I'm not getting where this is coming from. Ratings are up. Cars have more sponsorship now than what they had before. Purses have sucked for a while (other than Indy). Unless it's because he's not defering to the all knowing, all seeing ancient ones who drove CART and for all intents and purposes IRL into the ground.

http://www.grantland.com/blog/the-tr...nce-stephenson
"But, first, let us now praise famous moments, because something happened Tuesday night in Indianapolis that you can watch a lifetimeís worth of professional basketball and never see again. There was a brief, and very decisive, and altogether unprecedented, outburst of genuine officiating, and it was directed at the best player in the world, and that, my dear young person, simply is not done."